The following link (also included above) will take you to the modules that I developed for GEDMATH201 .
Feel free to enroll and share your feedback! Thanks!
This CANVAS course has enabled open enrollment. Students can self-enroll in the course with this URL:
https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/8YRN3D
Alternatively, they can sign up at https://canvas.instructure.com/register and use the following join code: 8YRN3D
Online Module Reflection
The highlight of EME4010 was the creation of an online module in CANVAS. As soon as the assignment was introduced, I knew that I wanted to create a module for adult students preparing to take the GED math exam. This was an opportunity for me to design an online module for a subject that I am already teaching.
Advantages/Disadvantages of web-based learning
Overall web-based learning and collaboration has both advantages and disadvantages. For independent and motivated learners, web-based learning provides the unique opportunity to “learn where you are at.” Being able to view the instructor videos, slides, and other teaching material at one’s leisure and repeatedly is one of the most advantageous offerings of web-based learning. In relation to the type of modules that I created, through web-based learning, adult students who are working and supporting families can find a way to prepare and pass the GED exam. This in turn, will empower them to advance with higher earning potential in the workforce.
The disadvantages of web-based learning are more often felt by students who may be less motivated, prefer an in-person academic setting, and/or have the need for more direct contact with others. Although there are ways to combat this in web-based learning, it is important to acknowledge that web-based learning is not for everyone. Nevertheless, for anyone who wants to take advantage of all that web-based learning has to offer, the opportunity to succeed in online learning is inherent.
Teaching, Social Presence & Collaboration
Two of the considerations of online learning is teacher presence and social presence. Although students are not sitting in traditional classrooms, teacher presence is made known through a variety of ways. Instructors who have virtual office hours and make themselves available to their students via Zoom, email, or chat create a teacher-student relationship through the use of technology. This can even be preferred over live classrooms as it provides more opportunity for one-to-one communication without the distractions often found in the traditional classroom.
Social presence is included in web-based learning through discussion boards, group chats, and on-line collaboration opportunities. Several times in my own web-based learning, I have read discussion posts where students indicated that they felt freer in the online environment than in person. As an educator, I add that web-based learning helps limit the distractions of the classroom and encourages students to “think before they speak,” better described as “think before they write.” As I see it, this is a huge advantage of on-line learning.
Collaboration in web-based learning is available. Technology such as Google Docs and other collaborative programs make the actual collaboration do-able. Two challenges to online collaboration are coordinating schedules between students and working with students who do not contribute or have the same goals to succeed. Although this is not a new challenge, the online element adds to the stress in these circumstances.
Creating My Module
I found the process of creating in CANVAS fascinating and inspirational. The platform itself is user-friendly and the "view as a student" option enabled me to walk through my creation as if I were the student. This was helpful in looking at the module as both educator and student. The biggest challenge I faced was uploading the recorded videos. After realizing that they must first be uploaded into the CANVAS files, the challenge no longer existed, and the process of uploading additional videos went smoothly.
The biggest reward in this experience was being able to create two modules within the designated time frame. I look forward to further developing this module into an online course for future use with my GED students. I also look forward to creating more CANVAS courses in the near future.
This essay was created in preparation for the design of the upcoming online module project. The essay helped me to analyze and thus begin the process of designing an online module. My topic is "multiplying and dividing fractions" and although the students for whom I want to intentionally design this are adult learners, this module would be an effective teaching tool for students of any age who need a review of fractions or are learning how to multiply and divide them for the first time.
In writing this essay, I am aware that there are parts of the design that I am comfortable with such as creating a PowerPoint, a worksheet, and a Camtasia video. I am equally aware that I will need to hone and increase my technical skills to make this project come together in a cohesive and complete online module.
The outline is created to serve as a guide to create the online course module that I will design. It provided a way for me to organize my thoughts about the module and to properly sequence the content.
After preparing this outline, I am more confident in my abilities to create an online module. The outline itself serves as a reminder to me of something that I always remind my students of - which that you can accomplish a daunting task one step at a time. At first the idea of designing an actual online module was daunting to me. The outline has replaced that with a sense of confidence and serves as a guide for the upcoming creation process.
I look forward to seeing my ideas come to fruition in the online module.
Reflection
This worksheet provides an opportunity to reflect upon the quality standards required in the creation of an online learning module. For me, it serves as a reminder to slow down and evaluate every step of the process that I will create.
I have identified the quality standards that are most important to the module that I am creating, and look forward to ensuring that my module reflects the standards and benchmarks as named in iNACOL and the Institute for Higher Education and Policy.